It took all three games to decide the series but Florida Atlantic (28-15, 10-8 AAC) fell to Charlotte (25-18, 11-7 AAC) and fell to fourth in the American.
Game One
As expected, the opening game of the weekend was a pitcher’s duel. The top-two pitchers in the American put on a show as neither team scored until the 8th inning.
Sadly for the Owls, Florida Atlantic could not get a run across after a three-spot by the 49ers in the bottom of the eighth. FAU fell 3-0.
SP Trey Beard pitched seven innings, allowing only three hits and struck out six. It tied a season high in IP for Beard who now has 7 quality starts this season. These have come across 11 appearances.
RHP Carter Holjes took the loss as he gave up two singles and then the home run in the eighth.
Game Two
Unlike Friday’s contest, scoring started early. Florida Atlantic’s John Schroeder earned an RBI single giving FAU a 1-0 lead in the top of the first. Charlotte responded in the bottom half of the first as it was tied 1-1 after the first frame.
The arms held the game at one apiece until the fourth when Emilio Gonzalez hit his first of two home runs on the day. That blast gave the Owls a 3-1 lead.
When Gonzalez came back up again in the sixth, FAU had two runners on. After hitting his first homer of the season, Gonzalez sent another one to the trees for his second home run. After that top half, FAU led 6-1.
Charlotte responded as the game pulled within three at 6-3.
But in the seventh inning, Schroeder added to his home run numbers as his two-run blast gave Florida Atlantic an 8-3 advantage.
The 49ers scored two more, but the Owls held on winning 8-5.
SP Tyler Murphy pitched 5.1 innings allowing only three runs, and struck out three. Murphy also allowed eight hits in the contest. He has now allowed exactly eight hits in three-straight starts.
Game Three
Charlotte beat up on FAU’s starter, James Litman, in the first as the 49ers scored two runs in the home half of the opening frame. Florida Atlantic cut the deficit thanks to a Marshall Lipsey RBI single in the third.
Ahead 2-1, the ‘Niners added two more runs in the third and gained a 4-1 lead.
FAU and Charlotte had opportunities, but could not convert up until the sixth for the Owls. John Martinez hit a solo shot cutting the deficit to two at 4-2.
The ninth inning was full of action as Schroeder had a home run robbed early in the Owls frame. Florida Atlantic brought the tying run to the plate, but a strikeout ended the rally, giving Charlotte the series in a 4-2 victory.
Litman was responsible for all four runs. The Freshman pitched only three innings. It was his third start in his past four appearances where he allowed at least four runs.
Series Notables
As a team, FAU had a .163 batting average. Their lowest mark in any conference series so far. The numbers officially drop the Owls below the .300 mark as a team overall this season. Saying it was an “off” weekend is not correct. Charlotte, to their credit, has been dominant on the mound this season, and the Owls met the 49ers at an inopportune time.
When it comes to RBIs FAU earned 10 while Charlotte earned only one more, at 11. One could jokingly share that the Owls could have “shared the wealth” in terms of the amount of runs Florida Atlantic scored on Saturday, but it was a shut down by the ‘Niners.
Two batters stood out over the weekend for the Owls.
First, after only having 14 at-bats this season, Sophomore Emilio Gonzalez went 2 for 4 on Saturday with 2 home runs and 5 RBIs. After FAU brought in talent and Gonzalez suffered an injury, the INF sat on the bench most of the season. If it were not for his contributions on Saturday, Florida Atlantic may have suffered a sweep.
Secondly, after his 37-game on-base streak ended at 37 on Tuesday, OF Marshall Lipsey excelled over the weekend. The Junior got on base in every game, and hit .364. Lipsey also had an OBP of .462. Like many that have faced the ‘Niners the only problem for the OF was strikeouts. He K’d five times over the weekend.
Brando Leroux and Schroeder also struck out five times.
The Owls’s arms produced a 4.32 ERA as Murphy and Litman both allowed above a .380 batting average in their starts. MJ Bollinger earned a save on Saturday, leading the AAC with nine.
Look Ahead
Next for FAU will be their final game against FIU in Paradise, before Florida Atlantic heads to Tulane over the weekend. It’s going to be a rough stretch for the Owls, but building off of the Charlotte weekend should help.
First pitch between the Owls and Panthers is set for 6:30 on Tuesday.
